Malta’s tourism season could take another blow after Malta was placed on the red list by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

The move comes amid a recent surge in the number of Covid-19 cases.

Malta currently has over 1,800 active cases after recording triple-digit numbers over the past week.

The country was placed on the ECDC red list after the 14-day case notification climbed to 122 and the positivity rate increased to over 4.08.

Countries are placed on the red list if their notification rate is between 75 and 200 and they have a positivity rate higher than 4.0.

Member States with the lowest case numbers are classified green, followed by amber, red and dark red.

The latest development covers the period 5 July to 11 July. This means that Malta is unlikely to get off the ECDC’s red list anytime soon, given the high case numbers registered over the past week.

Travel to and from countries on the red list has previously been discouraged by the European Commission.